Train control and signal system.



I. T. THOMPSON.

TRAIN CONTROL AND SIGNAL SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, I9I2.

Patented.. Apr. 13, 1915.

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1. T. THOMPSON. TRAIN CONTROL AND SIGNAL SYSTEM.

. APPLICATION FILED .IUNE 5, 1912. Imwm Patented Apr.I3,1915.

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l- T| I u l mlml Mg. I III Mg- I. T. THOMPSON. TRAIN CONTROL AND SIGNAL SYSTEM.

' APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5. 1912.

N Patented Apr.13, 1915.

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itltlil CONTROL iftlilll) SGlillllll SYSTEM.

original application filed January 5,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apri, lili, lltli.

l9l2, Serial No. 669.5%. Divided and this application filed clune a,

i912. eiial No. 701,744.

To all whom it may concern ide it known that ll, latins l2 THOMPSON, a citizen ot the United States, and a resident ot Chicago, in the county ot' Cook and `State ot llllinois, have inventedcertain new and use'ltul lmproveme'nts in Train Control and @igual ysteins; and ll do hereby declare that the tollwing is a full, clear, and ex act description to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which torni a part ot this specification.

llfhis invention relates to a system of electric signaling or control tor railway trains by which to indicate to the engineer, or to arrest or modify the movement ot the train, when the train is on an unsate or prohibited part ofi the track, and the invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and moreparticularly pointed out in the ap pended claims. A

ln the drawings ;-l*`igure 1 is a side elevation, in dotted lines, ot' a locomotive equipped with my improvements. Fig. 2 is'a partial sectional view illustratingthe release valve of the train air line pipe controlled by my improved mechanism. Fig. 3 is a view partially in section and partially 1n elevation ot the signaling and controling appa ratus carried by the engine. Fig. d is an en larged horizontal view on the line l-lof lig. 2. Fig. 5 isa diagrammatic View illustrating a track section composed ol' a plurality ot signal blocks equipped with a simple term ot lsignaling system, and illustrating diagrammatically' in connection therewith the signal or control device.

its shown in the drawings, designates a release valve ot' the train line air pipe that is located in a branch 11 ott the train pipe 12.

Leading trom the valve is a releasebranch pipe 13 which may be equipped at its outer or upper end with a whistle 1d to give an alarm when air is exhausted through the pi )e 13. rlChe branch pipe lilmay b e provic ed, in addition to the whistle with an opening closed by a plug 15.. The opening ot' the whistle is such as to permit the escape ot air therethrough to effect a service stop; and when the plug 15 is removed the air escapes from the branch 13 sulliciently rapidly to provide for an emergency stop.

rlhe'v'alve 10 is shown in Fig. 2 and comprises a tapered plug 16 that seats against thereof, reference being had an upwardly facing conical seat in the up per end of the pipe 1l that extends into the valve casing 18 and is provided with a guide stern 17 that is guided in said pipe 11. Said valve is normally held against its seat against the pressure of air in the train pipe., so as to sealv the pipe.11 by means ot a cam arm 19 lixed to a rock shaft 20 mounted in the wall of the'valve casing, and to said rock shaft, outside the casing, is lixed a weighted valve actuating arm 22. The weighted arm 22 is normally held in position to lock the valve 10 closed by a latch 25 of general l shape that is pivoted at 26 in the casing and` the shorter arm ot which is provided with a tooth 27 that-engages a notch 28 in the Y outer or heel end of the arm 22 so as to hold the valve arm in its uppermost position and the release valve closed. The latch is provided with an elongated, horizontally arranged arm 29 which carries at its free end a transverse armature SO. which contacts with the poles of ativo winding electromagnet 32 which, when energized, holds the latch in its raised position to lock the valve actuating arm in its upper position and the valves closed. When the magnet is den ergized the free end of the latch arm 29 drops and releases the 'latch from the weighted valve actuating arm 22 to permit the valve to automatically open by the action ot gravity ot said arm 22 and allow air to be released from the valve casing through the pipe 13. The weighted valve arm 22 drops when released by the latch 25 upon a cushion or buffer 35 at the bottom of the casing to relieve the parts of undue shocks or jars. p

rll`he arm 22 is adapted to be raised to restore the valve 10 to its normal or closed position, after it has dropped to open the valve, by means ot avertically swinging restoring lever 37 that is pivoted at 38 to one side of the casing A and arranged in a plane at oneside ofthe planel of said arm. Said restoring lever extends outside the casing and is Jformed at its outer end with a hand piece 39. llt is provided at its inner end with a laterally directed lifting member 40 which extends beneath the valve actuating arm, as best shown in Fig. il, so that when the lever 37 is swung upwardly at its inner end it raises the arm to automatically engage the tooth 27 of the latch 25 with the ings lin the' segment and lever.'

Y, 'electroma'gnetj 32 y' ing pin 43` may 25,-. lower holes of the y @said restoring -lever',.to thereby mechanically a f4.0-- axles v55 far en'dofn j the blockl E, on which iactuatinglarm. Such restoration of the J.valve actuating arm may take place When the el ctromagne't 32 is energized sothat thel arm willbe held iii its raised position. Y 5 AThe restoring lever 37,?e'Xterior to thecasing A coperates with a slotted arcuate segl? ment 42,and the lever is adapted to be locked of a `pin 43, shownY best in thereto means F ig. 14, extendin throu h re isterin lopengr g g, g

segment "iS Provided With two sets 'in'gs,'one at the upper and1 iieat the lower partthereofv, andythe'pin 43 extends through the upper openings and the lever"t o lock the leverin its normal position, as shown inlifig.

3. Said pin maybe provided with' a seal44 to prevent unauthorized tampering with the "lever, and to indicate,

' A`iuitswupp'erpositional; a time when the be inserted through the segment .42, and through holdthe parts inpositio'n to closegthefvalve. I mayprovide a counter 45 arranged at Athesi'dey of the lever, thesta'r wheel 46 of.

30 whichis adapted to be engaged by a pin 47 1 .which eXtends laterally from the arm 22 to4- Aactua'te the -counter each time the lever drops ownwardlyt'and" thereby produce .a record ofthe number oiyoperations-.ofV the device. y

'3'5 "The I electromagnet' 32v is included. in a normally closed circuit, best shown inFig.v n '15,'which circu-italso includes a battery, or

' *other source 'of energy 33,*one' side of, whichv is connected `bythe wire` to the 6 and 37 of*V the rear `drivewheels 38 of, the engine and .the vfront Wheels 39 .ofthe tender, 'respectively 'The otherfside of said battery i batteryA is connected, through ,the magnet 32, l i' by the'wire40 to one'end ofthe axle/ 410i the l rea-r Wheels 42 of thez locomotive. i The ends f ofi-the a-Xle 4,1 are insulated from each other n andtlieja'X-lesv 36, 37 areinsulatedfrom their .boxes and tlreengine'and tender frames.

".that are vbonded together, the battery '33 arid the magnet 32 are'ina circuit Which is maintainedlclosed through one'of th'e'wheels 42k and thega'djacent 'end of fits axle 41., and x through Aone or the other, or both, of the' Wheels 38, 39 attheir vaxles 3 7 and 36."v The circuit described constitutes ,a controlling Y -`circuit which is movablefivith the' signal associated 4vvith'said circuit to operate. 4`'In Figa-Sis shown-a section of track embracing two full signal blocks C, rD and the y latter is.

Aregular r4track rails, y,ish plates 'extending by kthe breaking of 'the seal, when the lever is -operatedto restore 20 the train yline release .valve mechanism, If it be desired to hold the cam actuating arm 22' is not energized, the/lock back engine or f f tr'ain,"'and inin'terruption of said circuit has the jeiectvto denergize itherelay 32 :and

- l thereby permit the train control device or af "traveling the contactwheels of the controlare insulated from each'other and from the A andare sustained by n across the two sections; Bond wires extend around said insulated rail-'sections'to maintain electric continuity oi the vtrack `rails of each block;

are insulated from eachother and-are connected to the rail sections 53,. 54', and said terminals areadapted to be connected by `means of contacts 58' carried by swinging armatures 59that are relaymagnets 5L i i The lengths of therail sections 53, 54 may be such, with respect tothe distances apart actedupon the track of the vwheels 38, 39 an'dr42, that-when the wheels ,38 and 42 are travelin T y g, one oli one short rail .Section and the'other on'thc other short rail sectiomjand the wheel 39 is trav- V-ieling on the regular trackrail in rear of the insulatedv sections, said latter wheel will A`reach the rail section 53 before the wheel 38 has passed otlV thesection 54'. it be as- ,sumed in .F ig. -that the .contact 5S is closed upon the spring terminals 56, the circuit oi magnet 32 and the battery 33 will be closed y 'from-one side ot thebattery 33 through the Wire r40, the Wheel42, rail section 53, the spring'terminals 56 yto -rail section 54, and thence through the wheel 38 andaxle 37 to the other side of the battery. When the wheel 38 passes off the insulated rail sec` tion 5 4 the `wheel 39 will have passed onto the 'insulated rail section 53, so that the circuit ,56, -56 designate springterminals which will, atsuch time, be closed through the l wheel 42, the rail sectionv 54, spring teiminals 56, rail section 53 and Wheel 39 and its,

axle 3 6 back to the battery 33.

In the'foregoing description it has beenl assun'ied'that the circuit is closed at the terminals 56. The said terminals y56,A when y closed bythe Acontacts 58 and the rail sections 53, 54 connected thereto constitute whenthe Contact -wheels 38, 39 and 42 are passing` 4thereover, a loop or partial local circuit through which the controlling circuit is maintained closed, notwithstanding 'the `interruption in the track rail due to the in- -sulation betweenV the rail sections and the regula/r track rails, so Ithat there Will be no I break vin the controlling circuit, and the trainwill passover said insulated rail sec# tions ,without operating the train control device or signal api'iaratus. If the vloop be Lianne? open by the separation of the contact 58 and the terminals 56, however, as shown in the block E in Fig. 5, the controlling circuit will be interrupted or. opened when the Wheels O38, 39 and 42 pass over the insulated rail sections, ivith the result of denergizing the magnet 32 and operating` the train control device or signal or both.

The said loop or partial local circuit may beopened at the terminals 56l in any convenient' manner to eect this result, as for instance, by the vthrowing of a s vvitch,l a semaphore, the openingr of a bridge or other- Wise short circuiting the track relays 51.

This applicationis a division of my prior application for'U. S. Letters Patent, Serial No. 669,556, filed on the thday of January, i912.

l claim as my invention l. A signal or control mechanism fbr railway trains embracing a signal or control device carried by the locomotive, a vertically swinging Weighted armarranged when in its upper position to maintain said device inoperative, and When in its lower position to render the device operative, and having a notch at its heel. end, a swinging mechanical latch of general |L-shape pivoted at the angle between its arms and having on its shorter arm a tooth to engage the notch of the lever to hold the latter in its upper position and provided at the end of its longer arm, which normally lies h'orizrontally over the Weighted arm, with an armature, an electro-magnet carried by theflocomotive and acting on the said armature and said latch to normally holdithe arm in its upper position, and electrically actuated means for controlling; said electromagnet.

2. A control mechanism for railway trains embracing, in combination With the air brake train pipe and its release valve, a gravity actuated arm connected to and operating said valve to release air from the pipe, a holding magnet operating to normally hold the arm in position to render the valve inoperative to release air from thev pipe, a controlling circuit for said magnet with means to open and close the same, embracing means to automatically open the said circuit to denergize said magnetand release said arm to open the valve, alam circuitembracing a lamp and a battery'an two separated contacts, and means on the valve actuating arm to bridge between said contacts to close the lamp circuit when' the arm drops to open the valve. ln testimony, that I claim the foregoing asmy` invention I aiiix my signature in the presence of tv vo Witnesses, this 11th day of May, 1912.

JAMES T. THOMPSON.

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